In Conversation: ‘How To Make Millions Before Grandma Dies’ Director Pat Boonnitipat and Actress Usha Seamkhum

by Heesun Park

The highest-grossing Thai film of 2024, responsible for making thousands of people cry around the world and even a viral TikTok trend, How To Make Millions Before Grandma Dies (2024) is a family drama about a college dropout who elects himself as the caretaker of his cancer-stricken grandmother in hopes of receiving an inheritance. This is also the feature-length directing debut of Pat Boonnitipat and the acting debut of Usha Seamkhum, who plays the titular grandmother of the film. I had the chance to speak to the two about the process and inspiration behind How to Make Millions as well as what the future may hold for them.

This interview has been edited for clarity. Usha Seamkhum’s answers were translated in real time by an interpreter.

Sawadee Ka! [presses hands together]

[Pat, Usha, and Palin, Usha’s interpreter, return the gesture with a laugh and smile.]

Congratulations on your film and the success you guys are seeing with it. I was able to watch it last night and I loved it so much. I thought it was beautiful.

My first question is for Pat. While I was watching How To Make Millions Before Grandma Dies, the word “delicate” kept on popping into my head. Usually, when I think about Asian family dramas, especially the ones about money, I think about dramatic music and evil, greedy characters.

But How To Make Millions was surprisingly very gentle. From the soundtrack to even the comedy and the characters. And the grandmother’s children and grandchildren really did seem to love her from beginning to end. So I was just wondering if this direction was always your intention?

BOONNITIPAT: During the process of my previous work, my producers somehow—we were in the editing room and we were editing a scene that was supposed to be funny, but I directed it not so well. So it didn't come off as funny. And they both turned to me and said, “Oh, Pat, you could never direct a comedy movie.”

And that somehow stuck in my mind. Like it hurt me. So I have this [complex]—I always like to win. So I kept in mind that if I were to make another movie, I'd make it funny no matter what. So when this script came in, it was just perfect. Because the story itself is a tragedy if you look at it. It is a story about a grandmother who is dying and a grandson coming to take care of her for an inheritance.

While writing the script and directing it, I had to be really—You could easily find an imbalance if you push [the comedy] too much on the audience. So I found it very interesting to look at it from the point of view of the character. And usually, when you look at it through the point of the character, you find that they are not actually as sad as we are. Because they are living their life.

They are not viewing their life as a third person. So [the characters] actually are enjoying what they are doing [at that moment in the plot]. And especially from her [gesturing to Usha, who plays Mengju, the titular grandmother of the film] point of view, actually, she's in joy because her loving grandson is coming to take care of her. And she wouldn’t think at all about whether he would have any evil intent towards her.

She is just like my grandmother. When I moved back with her to write the script, she always jokes on me. She always has tons of jokes. So I found that quite charming [to give to] the character. It [provided] the balance for the story [and] became the direction.

As you were saying, this film is very nuanced in the way that it handles its characters and the story. This was also your first time directing a movie. Did you watch any films in preparation and what specifically were your inspirations for this film?

BOONNITIPAT: I have always loved Asian cinema. I grew up with Asian cinema, especially the ones by Edward Yang or Hirokazu Koreeda or Lee Chang-dong. Those are the filmmakers I studied a lot from. 

One of the films that I watched many times is also Parasite. I found it really fascinating how the director, Bong Joon-ho, managed to convey, from my point of view, multi-layers of information. I found it pretty fascinating how it (Parasite) did that. So I wanted to do it with this film too. So I shared a lot with it to really enhance my skill of storytelling and to put this film in the tone that you saw it.

The fact that one of your inspirations was Hirokazu Koreeda was no surprise to me. Your film reminded me a lot of the gentleness of Still Walking, especially with the way it captured the landscapes and the family dynamics. I just thought it was really, really beautiful.

BOONNITIPAT: The funny thing is I watched Still Walking more than 30 times to prepare and to actually understand how it worked.

I want to hear from Usha next: I read that although How To Make Millions Before Grandma Dies was your first movie role, you’ve modeled in TV commercials previously. I'd love to hear more about your story and your journey with acting. If being an actress was always a goal or a dream of yours.

SEAMKHUM: I didn’t think I could play a role in a feature film. This job came to me through my modeling agency actually. They were searching for a senior actor and Pat’s assistant director previously casted me in an indie rock band music video that I starred in.

So they contacted me about whether I was interested to come for an audition. But I was quite worried at first because I was worried I wouldn't be able to memorize the script for a feature-length film. But they were persistent. Even though I rejected the offer at first. But they were persistent and so I was like, “Okay, let's just try for an audition.”

The scene that I did for my audition was the scene where [Mengju] was at the hospital with M and he was wheeling her in a wheelchair and he left her there because they had an argument. And for me, during that audition, it was extremely realistic because the actor who was playing with me actually lost his grandmother beforehand.

So he was really crying and that triggered me as well. As a result, that scene came really naturally. And so I was casted.

Would you consider furthering your acting career after this project?

SEAMKHUM: If there is an opportunity, I might do it.

But still, I’m quite worried about not just memorizing the script, but if I’d be able to work with a director who can take care of me as well as Pat did for this project and if I’d be able to work with a studio that is as thoughtful in working with senior actors. If I’m taken care of well and I feel comfortable on set and with my collaborators, then I will definitely enjoy acting.

If you do come across a studio that is able to take care of you as well as you want them to, what type of role would you want to do next? Would you want to branch out of the grandmother role?

SEAMKHUM: I really connected with Amah’s (Mengju) role in this project and so I want to play a role where I can feel a similar connection—or connection that has the same degree of relativity—to her.

And, finally, Pat: Thailand's soft power has been growing alongside Korea, China, and Japan. And of course, the widespread success of How To Make Millions has only been a major boost. So, in your perspective, what do you think defines Thai filmmaking? And what are your goals for Thai cinema?

BOONNITIPAT: What defines Thai filmmaking? Wow. I didn't have a chance to participate in Thai’s soft power campaign that much, but, as a cinephile growing up, there's one filmmaker I have always been looking forward to and it’s Apichatpong Weerasethakul. He’s really inspiring to me and what he did with “Thai-ness,” with our culture—how he represented it is totally another level for me. And I always aspired to do that. So, for me, that is always the work I look up to. The quality and that amount of effort that he put into that and the craft that he has been trained to do.

So that's, for me, my dream Thai cinema.